Conceptual Design Optimization Research Articles

Hydrogen, medium-range airplane design optimization for minimal global warming impact

AbstractThis paper focuses on the conceptual design optimization of liquid hydrogen aircraft and their performance in terms of climate impact, cash operating cost, and energy consumption. An automated, multidisciplinary design framework for kerosene-powered aircraft is extended to design liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft at a conceptual level. A hydrogen tank is integrated into the aft section of the fuselage, increasing the operating empty mass and wetted area. Furthermore, the gas model of the engine is adapted to account for the hydrogen combustion products. It is concluded that for medium-range, narrow-body aircraft using hydrogen technology, the climate impact can be minimized by flying at an altitude of 6.0 km at which contrails are eliminated and the impact due to $$\hbox {NO}_{\textrm{x}}$$ NO x emissions is expected to be small. However, this leads to a deteriorated cruise performance in terms of energy and operating cost due to the lower lift-to-drag ratio (– 11%) and lower engine overall efficiency (– 10%) compared to the energy-optimal solutions. Compared to cost-optimal kerosene aircraft, the average temperature response can be reduced by 73–99% by employing liquid hydrogen, depending on the design objective. However, this reduction in climate impact leads to an increase in cash operating cost of 28–39% when considering 2030 hydrogen price estimates. Nevertheless, an analysis of future kerosene and hydrogen prices shows that this cost difference can be significantly decreased beyond 2030.

A Conceptual Design Optimization for a MgB2 DC Transmission Line

A Conceptual Design Optimization for a MgB₂ DC Transmission Line

Conceptual design and multi-objective optimization of a hybrid system based on direct ammonia protonic ceramic fuel cell and alkali metal thermal electric converter

As a power generation device, direct ammonia protonic ceramic fuel cells (NH3–PCFCs) also produce a significant amount waste heat, which not only results in energy wastage but also abnormal operation if the waste heat is not removed. To address these concerns and enhance generation electricity capacity, a novel waste heat recovery system based upon NH3-PCFC and alkali metal thermal electric converter (AMTEC) is first proposed, wherein the AMTEC converts the high-grade exhaust heat produced by the NH3-PCFC to extra electricity. Considering ammonia decomposition sluggish kinetics, various irreversible overpotential losses of NH3-PCFC as well as thermodynamic losses within the integrated system, the energetic/exergetic performance parameters evaluating the NH3-PCFC, AMTEC and the hybrid system are formulated. The general performance characteristics of the proposed system are revealed, along with a sensitive analysis conducted under specific operational conditions or structural parameters. Numerical calculation exhibited that the maximum attainable power density of the hybrid system has been promoted 20.5 % than that of stand-alone NH3-PCFC system. The multi-objective genetic algorithm is utilized to optimize the hybrid system performance for trade-off the power output and efficiency. Optimized results show the power density and corresponding efficiency of proposed system can respectively reach 6762.3 W m−2 and 49.8 % in the corresponding optimization conditions.

A Framework for Aircraft Conceptual Design and Multidisciplinary Optimization

In this research, the architecture and the functionalities of the LAMBDA (Laboratory of Aircraft Multidisciplinary Knowledge-Based Design and Analysis) framework for the design, analysis, and optimization of civil aircraft are presented. The framework is developed in MATLAB R2022a and comprises a modular architecture, which gives the potential for the use of different methods and fidelities for each discipline. The methods can be selected from a set of built-in methods or custom user-defined scripts. Disciplinary modules of the LAMBDA are Requirements, Weight, Sizing, Geometry, Aerodynamics, Engine, Performance, Cost, Emission, and Optimization. This framework has been used for different types of design and optimization problems. When it is applied for the design and optimization of a novel regional TBW (Truss-Braced Wing) aircraft, the operating cost has been reduced by 7.7% in the optimum configuration compared to the base configuration.

Multiobjective aerostructural optimization for efficient transport wing conceptual design

The advantages of Multidisciplinary wing development are only gradually being exploited in an industrial level, largely halted by the inevitable design space complexity arising from the interacting disciplines and objective constraints. An industrial tool has to provide design space exploration early in the design process and be reliable enough to guide subsequent fine-tuning optimization studies. In this paper, we display how our methodology can be used in an industrially relevant constrained aerostructural problem described by the common research model and formulated by the asymmetric subspace optimization architecture. It uses multi fidelity analyses in a surrogate based optimization framework, offering more detailed information earlier in the design cycle. The results indicate efficient space exploration, particularly due to the system level dimensionality reduction associated with such a load balancing architecture.

Optimization of conceptual design on the lead-based modular nuclear power reactor core loaded with U-10Zr alloy fuel

As one of the forth-generation nuclear energy system reactor types, lead fast reactor has good safety and economical properties due to the stable chemical properties of the coolant and the proliferation characteristics of the fuel, and modular nuclear power faster reactor designed for nuclear plant can further improve the economics of the reactor. In this article, the conceptual design of the lead-based modular power reactors with different power levels loaded with uranium alloy fuel is found to be found that when reactor core size increased to a certain level, the proliferation performance is too high due to the increase of the reactor core size under a specific core life such as 2000EFPD, so at the end of core life, the reactor core still has a large remaining reactivity. The proliferation advantage of the core cannot be fully released during the current core life time. Based on this phenomenon, in this article, we optimized the conceptual design of lead-based modular nuclear power reactor core loaded with uranium alloy fuel, and proposed to choose the appropriate rod to diameter ratio and effective density of fuel based on the power level and life time of the core. By adjusting the amount of uranium and 235U per unit volume, the proliferation performance of the core can be changed to match the power level and life time of the core. So the reactivity of core during the life period does not change, which not only reduce the difficulty of the reactivity control, but also make full use of the proliferation performance of the core. And at the same time, the reasonable rod to diameter ratio can provide safety and design margin for the analysis of thermal and hydraulic safety, and effectively improve the economy and safety of the core.

A Treatise on Reconnoitering the Suitability of Fuzzy MARCOS for Assessment of Conceptual Designs

The development of an equipment starts from an effective design activity. The concept selection process is an activity that is entailed in the design stage, and its relevance in the design process cannot be overemphasized because it informs the choice of optimal conceptual design from a set of alternative designs. Hence, there is a need to accrue efforts to the concept selection process because of its importance. This article presents the identification of optimal conceptual design as a multicriteria decision-making model by assessing the suitability of fuzzy Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution (MARCOS). The fuzzy MARCOS model was developed to access four alternative conceptual designs of briquetting machines considering eight design features with several sub-features. The results obtained from the decision analysis showed that the fuzzy MARCOS model was able to rank the designs based on their performance and the final values of the overall utility function. The overall utility function is based on the utility degree of the conceptual design alternatives in terms of the best and worst designs identified by the model. The utility degree created a platform for comparison on how the design alternatives varied from the best and worst designs. The results obtained from the MARCOS method were validated using the TOPSIS method and modified TOPSIS method, and the results obtained showed that the MARCOS method is in conformity with the validation results.

Experimental and numerical study on the lightweight design of load-bearing energy absorption structure for subway train

The load-bearing underframe is widely utilized on the crashworthiness design of subway trains. However, studies on load-bearing underframes mainly focused on conceptual design and structural optimization, and didn't consider the combination of bearing loads during the normal operation and absorbing impact kinetic energy under collisions. In addition, the traditional load-bearing underframe for subway trains is mainly made of stainless steel, which has a relatively large self-weight and cannot meet the requirement of lightweight design. To address these limitations, this paper presents a novel lightweight aluminum alloy load-bearing underframe with the alternative thin-walled energy absorption component, which can both satisfy the function of bearing loads and energy absorption. Firstly, the impact tests and numerical simulations are conducted to compare the crashworthiness of the energy absorption component, i.e., the thin-walled square tube made of S304 (abbreviated as S3N4) and aluminum alloy 5083P-O (abbreviated as A3N4). The result shows that S3N4 has higher energy absorption and mean crushing force, and A3N4 is 56.94 % lower than S3N4 in initial peak crushing force and 53.79 % higher in special energy absorption. Then, the aluminum alloy thin-walled tube is adopted on the novel load-bearing underframe and the parameter study on the wall thickness and number of diaphragms for the energy absorption component is conducted. The result reveals that the 5083P-O thin-walled tube with 5 mm wall thickness and 4 diaphragms can provide the stable and ordered deformation mode and high energy absorption. Finally, a real vehicle impact test is conducted to verify the crashworthiness of the optimized load-bearing underframe, which shows that the deformation modes and mechanical responses are consistent with the numerical simulation. The proposed aluminum alloy load-bearing underframe energy absorption structure can be adopted on subway trains.

Research on the lightweight design and multilevel optimization method of B‐pillar of hybrid material based on side‐impact safety and multicriteria decision‐making

AbstractThis paper designs and optimizes a new structure hybrid material B‐pillar assembly. Establish a finite element analysis model for the side impact test of an electric vehicle to verify the model's accuracy. Construct a finite element model of the hybrid material B‐pillar assembly. Combined with the static performance analysis of the B‐pillar, the laminate design of the carbon fiber composite B‐pillar reinforcement plate and optimization. For the outer and inner panels of the B‐pillar, the surrogate model method and the multiobjective optimization method are combined to set 11 design variables and 13 responses. The optimal Latin hypercube design method was used to randomly sample each design variable and fit the radial basis function (RBF) approximate model. The modified second‐generation non‐dominated sorting genetic algorithm (MNSGA‐II) was used to carry out multiobjective optimization of the mixed material B‐pillar assembly, and the multicriteria decision‐making method was used to obtain the optimal solution for the Pareto solution set. A drop weight impact test was performed on the hybrid material B‐pillar assembly. The results showed that the peak collision force of the hybrid material B‐pillar was reduced by 43.7% compared with the original steel B‐pillar, the specific energy absorption was increased by 17.5%, and the side impact safety performance was better. After optimization, the weight of the mixed material B‐column was reduced by 26.44%. The improvement rates of the intrusion amount at P2 and the intrusion speed at P1 were 23.99% and 0.63%, respectively, and the lightweight effect and side impact safety were significantly improved.Highlights The finite element analysis parameters of carbon fiber composite materials were constructed through experiments, and the basis for simulation analysis under various working conditions of the B‐pillar based on performance‐driven optimization was established. A hybrid material B‐pillar design method is proposed, which consists of a variable‐thickness high‐strength steel B‐pillar outer plate, a variable‐thickness high‐strength steel B‐pillar inner plate, and a carbon fiber composite B‐pillar reinforcement plate. The super layer of the carbon fiber composite B‐pillar reinforcement plate was optimized and the laying plan of the carbon fiber composite B‐pillar reinforcement plate was determined. Performance‐driven optimization is adopted to realize the collaboration of multilevel design and optimization methods such as B‐pillar conceptual design, detailed design, and multiobjective optimization. A modified NSGA‐II algorithm was proposed and combined with the multicriteria decision‐making method and the entropy‐weighted gray relation analysis method to determine the Pareto optimal solution and the optimal design scheme for the mixed material B‐pillar.

Enhanced methanol reforming gas fuel cell system with electrochemical hydrogen pump: Conceptual design, system analysis, and multi-objective optimization

In this work, two methanol-reforming gas fuel cell systems coupled with an electrochemical hydrogen pump (EHP), namely, EHP pre-coupling and post-coupling fuel cell systems were proposed to achieve performance enhancement. A back propagation neural network surrogate model was established for the two systems to accurately describe system behavior, and a second-generation multi-objective non-dominated genetic algorithm was utilized for addressing the multi-objective optimization problem encompassing net output power, carbon mass-specific emission and the levelized cost of electricity. The linear non-weighted multi-attribute preference and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution multi-attribute decision-making methods were employed to select the optimal solutions. The optimized EHP pre-coupling fuel cell system exhibited lower carbon emissions (0.69 kgCO2/(kW·h)) and higher net output power (126.02 kW) compared to previous studies. While the EHP post-coupling system achieves a lower levelized cost of electricity (0.36 USD/(kW·h)), and stronger system stability (total efficiency reduction less 1 %). Both EHP-coupling systems offer viable process enhancements for fuel cell systems.

High‐Performance Fully Stretchable Moist‐Electric Generator

AbstractThe emerging moist‐electric generation that can harvest energy from the atmosphere moisture to power the next‐generation wearable electronics has attracted great attention recently. However, currently developed moist‐electric generators (MEGs) are hard to be fully stretchable owing to the lack of essential material properties and the restriction of the device construction. Here, stretchable hygroscopic ionic hydrogel and carbon black‐coated cotton knitted fabric are employed with a pair of symmetric Cu electrodes on top and bottom to fabricate a fully stretchable moist‐electric generator (FSMEG). The prepared FSMEG simultaneously achieves outstanding stretchability of 400%, sustained short‐circuit current of 50 µA, and open‐circuit voltage of 0.3 V, demonstrating superior comprehensive performances among current MEGs. The remarkable performances of FSMEG can be ascribed to the decreased crystallinity of ionic hydrogel and the synergistic effect of water evaporation force and redox reaction on electrodes. Of great importance is that large‐scale integration of FSMEG units is capable of driving electronics including calculators, light‐emitting‐diodes, and even cell phones. Beyond power generation, FSMEG also successfully exhibits practical application in self‐powered pressure sensing and weight identification. The optimal properties and design concepts of FSMEG provide new insight for designing next‐generation high‐performance hydroelectric harvesting devices with wide applications.

Conceptual Design and Simulation-Based Optimization of Indirect Extractive Distillation Processes Considering Preconcentration for Separating Ternary Azeotropic Systems

Conceptual Design and Simulation-Based Optimization of Indirect Extractive Distillation Processes Considering Preconcentration for Separating Ternary Azeotropic Systems

Synergies and Trade-Offs in Hybrid Propulsion Systems Through Physics-Based Electrical Component Modeling

Abstract Hybrid-electric propulsion is recognized as an enabling technology for reducing aviation's environmental impact. In this work, a serial/parallel hybrid configuration of a 19-passenger commuter aircraft is investigated. Two underwing-mounted turboprop engines are connected to electrical branches via generators. One rear fuselage-mounted electrically driven ducted fan is coupled with an electric motor and respective electrical branch. A battery system completes the selected architecture. Consistency in modeling accuracy of propulsion systems is aimed for by development of an integrated framework. A multipoint synthesis scheme for the gas turbine and electric fan is combined with physics-based analytical modeling for electrical components. Influence of turbomachinery and electrical power system design points on the integrated power system is examined. An opposing trend between electrical and conventional powertrain mass is driven by electric fan design power. Power system efficiency improvements in the order of 2% favor high-power electric fan designs. A trade-off in electrical power system mass and performance arises from oversizing of electrical components for load manipulation. Branch efficiency improvements of up to 3% imply potential to achieve battery mass reduction due to fewer transmission losses. A threshold system voltage of 1 kV, yielding 32% mass reduction of electrical branches and performance improvements of 1–2%, is identified. This work sets the foundation for interpreting mission-level electrification outcomes that are driven by interactions on the integrated power system. Areas of conflicting interests and synergistic opportunities are highlighted for optimal conceptual design of hybrid powertrains.

Conceptual Design and Parametric Optimization of a New Multileveled Horsetail Structure for Bicycle Helmets

This study aims to explore the feasibility of using a structure inspired by the features of horsetail and human spine as the potential helmet liner, targeting at mitigation of acceleration‐induced injuries, which includes rotational acceleration that focused by many researchers due to its dominance in causing severe brain injuries when cycling crashes happen. Evaluation of the compressive and shear performance of the new horsetail liner structure, as well as the material characterization of expanded polystyrene foam and thermoplastic polyurethane, has been conducted using both experimental and numerical means. To come up with the best design configuration of the horsetail liner structure, a parametric study is also conducted to investigate the effect of individual geometrical variables in the design. The results show that the optimal bioinspired horsetail structure is capable in reducing kinetic energy induced by both linear and rotational accelerations, demonstrating a potential application of this structure as a helmet liner. Suggestions on how to implement this horsetail liner structure into an actual commercial helmet are also made in this study.

An analytical frequency‐domain model of aerodynamic mass and damping of floating wind turbines

AbstractThe fore‐aft motion of the rotor‐nacelle assembly (RNA) of a rotating floating wind turbine (FWT) can cause an oscillation in aerodynamic thrust, which may be equivalently treated as frequency‐dependent aerodynamic mass and damping effects. In this study, an explicit frequency‐domain analytical model is proposed to calculate the equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping of FWTs, with proper linearization of control system. Assuming that an FWT operates under steady wind conditions and a forced oscillation is exerted at the RNA along the wind direction, the thrust fluctuations are equivalently represented by the force and moment acting on the nacelle instead of pure aerodynamic loads. Based on the thrust oscillation expression, equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping are derived analytically. After verifying the model by numerical comparison, it is used to demonstrate equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping of three wind turbines (5–15 MW). Effects of wind turbine up‐scaling and controller dynamics are addressed. Results show that equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping present a nonlinear characteristic with oscillation frequency in the below‐rated region, while the relationship is close to linear for higher wind speeds. The effect of wind turbine up‐scaling has a visible impact on equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping, especially at near‐rated wind speed. Controller gains affect equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping and should be tuned reasonably in the controller design for FWTs. Outcomes of our study can be used to establish a frequency‐domain coupled model of FWTs and are beneficial for conceptual design and parameter optimization of the platform of FWTs.

Conceptual process design and process optimization of triple-column pressure-swing distillation for the separation of ternary mixtures embedding two azeotropes with different feed composition via thermodynamic insights and genetic algorithm

In this article, we take the tetrahydrofuran (THF)/ethanol (ETOH)/methanol (MeOH) as an example to investigate the process design of the triple-column pressure-swing distillation (TCPSD) for the separation of Serafimov’s class 2.0-2b mixtures with different feed composition. Two basic topology structures (TSI, TSII) and two separation sequences (SSI, SSII) are investigated, then, process optimization with total annual cost (TAC) as objective function is conducted via genetic algorithms. Heat integration (HI) is also applied to TCPSD. From a new perspective, the separation of THF/ETOH/MeOH can be regarded as the azeotropic distillation for THF/ETOH with MeOH as azeotropic agents based on thermodynamic features of Serafimov’s class 2.0-2b mixtures. The feasible topology structure and separation sequence of TCPSD for Serafimov’s class 2.0-2b mixtures depend on the feed composition and operating pressure. The feed composition is divided into three regions according to the concentration of methanol in azeotropic distillation column. The two critical points are azeotropic points at allowed minimum and maximum operating pressure. Especially, when feed composition is below azeotropic point at allowed minimum operating pressure, TSI is not feasible due to less MeOH as azeotropic agents. Furthermore, TCPSD combining pure azeotropic agents (ATPSD) can be developed based on this new insight. Then, two feed compositions are used to illustrate the detailed conceptual design of three topology structures as well as corresponding two separation sequences and their economic performance. The results show that when feed composition is 0.4ETOH/0.25THF/0.35MeOH, TSI and TSII are feasible, the best economical configurations without and with heat integration is TSII-SSII and TSII-SSII-HI. When feed composition is 0.4ETOH/0.4THF/0.2MeOH, TSII and ATPSD are feasible, the best economical configurations without and with heat integration is ATPSD-SSI and ATPSD-SSI-HI. Furthermore, ATPSD-SSI and ATPSD-SSI-HI have 18.28% and 19.38% TAC reduction than TSII-SSI and TSII-SSI-HI, respectively. In summary, feasible and the best economic topology structure and separation sequence of TCPSD for Serafimov’s class 2.0-2b mixtures depend on the feed composition and operating pressure. In addition, the proposed ATPSD shows good economic performance for Serafimov’s class 2.0-2b mixtures.

Biomimetic optimized concept with Murray networks for accelerated solar-driven water evaporation

Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation provides a green and environment-friendly means for seawater desalination and wastewater purification. However, it is still challenging to simultaneously optimize the overall light absorption, water transport, and thermal management of the evaporators. Herein, we ingeniously designed a 3D artificial tree evaporator by integrating Murray networks with plants transpiration for fast water transport and accelerated evaporation. The excellent water transport, abundant intermolecular hydrogen bonds, supplementation of environmental energy, and heat-isolated evaporation structure of the artificial trees boost the escape behavior and vaporization process of water molecules at the interface. Thus, this nature-inspired artificial tree could not only maximize the solar energy absorption, but also utilize the environmental energy for evaporation, which achieved evaporation rate of 2.46 kg m–2h−1 and total energy efficiency of 99.28% under 1.0 sun irradiation (with an ambient energy supplement of 4.64%). The use of this evaporator could continuously produce pure water from real seawater samples in the natural environment that was much higher than the requirements of World Health Organization (WHO) and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards, highlighting its expanded value of this optimized design concept in practical desalination applications.

Designing and Simulation Assessment of a Chair Attachment Air Blowing Methods to Enhance the Safety of Prolonged Sitting.

Musculoskeletal disorders and the stagnation of sitting are among the side effects of excessive sitting in awkward sitting positions. In this study, a developed chair attachment cushion design with an optimal air blowing technique is proposed to eliminate the negative side effects of prolonged sitting. Instantaneously reducing the contact area between the chair and its occupant is the fundamental goal of the proposed design. The fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approaches represented by FAHP and FTOPSIS were integrated to evaluate and select the optimal proposed design. An ergonomic and biomechanics assessment of the occupant's seating position while employing the novel safety cushion design was validated using simulation software (CATIA). Sensitivity analysis was also used to confirm the design's robustness. Results show that the manual blowing system using an accordion blower was the optimal design concept based on the selected evaluation criteria. In fact, the proposed design provides an acceptable RULA index value for the examined sitting postures and performed very safely in the biomechanics single action analysis.

A new approach based on off-design R-curve and thermal load duration curve for the design and optimization of bioresources driven cogeneration Rankine cycle: Application on industrial site in Nova Scotia, Canada

Decarbonization objectives in industrial processes impose major changes for industrial energy supply. The combination of decarbonization of heat and electric load can be achieved by cogeneration plant driven by clean energy resources. Despite of new innovative cogeneration cycle being investigated, Rankine cycle cogeneration plant driven by biomass or biofuels stills the most attractive solution in low solar irradiance countries. The aim of this study is to establish a new original method combining a steady state and dynamic approach to solve and link optimal conceptual design problem and operation strategies of the plant. This approach is applied also to evaluate the worthiness of adopting a thermal energy storage solution. Breakdown of electricity and thermal cost of cogeneration plant is established for the first time for the sake of mapping energy prices of different decarbonization solutions. A thermodynamic and economic model to predict the performances of the cogeneration plant at design and off-design conditions was developed.Three off-design operation strategies are identified: the first engenders steam throttling, the second induces part-load operation of the condensing turbine, and the third requires an auxiliary boiler to meet peak thermal demand. A new R-curve named off-design R-curve is developed to predict cycle performances during these operations, and then combined with the thermal load duration curve to predict energy consumption. Subsequently, an optimization procedure combining the R-curve tool and cost break-down of electricity and thermal energy is carried out. The energy prices and the annualized capital cost R-curves are summed up to optimize the design of power to heat ratio.A case study in an industrial site in Nova Scotia (Canada) is considered. The method proves its simplicity and effectiveness in the conceptual design of the plant, as well as predicting different costs of energy and the optimization of the R ratio. Case study results show that biomass energy cost saving rises with power production to achieve its maximum at Rd equal to 1.23, while biofuel energy cost saving decreases with Rd and was achieved only when Rd is lower than 0.7. Combining the annualized cost with the energy cost reveal that the optimal Rd is at 1.07 for biomass and 0.21 for biofuel, respectively. Moreover, with the introduction of the off-design R curve, it was found that the cogeneration efficiency drops down to 18 % (from 0.52 to 0.34 at Rd equal to 1.23) and the power production down to 60 % when the process load is double the average load. Hence, more accurate energy cost-saving values and optimal on-site power production are achieved. Energy cost saving drops by 7 %, which lowers the value of Rd where biofuel cost saving is achieved to 0.3, while the optimal value stays the same for biomass. Besides, the maximum potential of thermal energy storage in energy saving is accounted. The saving in the case study is low at 5–6 %, but generally it is dependent on the frequency at which the thermal load occurs. The method developed proves its effectiveness in solving conceptual design problems, and can used to rigorously evaluate new innovative configurations of cogeneration plants. Challenges and future works to improve this method are also addressed.

Aerodynamic Optimization and Fuel Burn Evaluation of a Transonic Strut-Braced-Wing Single-Aisle Aircraft

This paper presents an assessment of the potential fuel burn savings offered by the transonic strut-braced-wing configuration within the single-aisle class of aircraft relative to a modern conventional tube-and-wing aircraft through aerodynamic shape optimization based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. A representative strut-braced-wing aircraft is first developed through conceptual multidisciplinary design optimization based on the Airbus A320neo, with current technology levels assumed. A concept for the conventional tube-and-wing configuration is also developed to represent the Airbus A320neo as a performance baseline. Single-point aerodynamic shape optimization is then performed on wing–body–tail models of each aircraft to address aerodynamic design challenges and to provide more accurate performance estimates. Results indicate that shock formation can be mitigated from the wing–strut junction of the strut-braced wing at Mach 0.78 and a relatively high design lift coefficient of 0.750, providing an 8.2% reduction in block fuel over a 1000 n mile nominal mission when compared to the conventional tube-and-wing aircraft. Multipoint aerodynamic shape optimization is then performed to build toward a more credible estimate of fuel burn performance, with results showing a reduction in the fuel burn savings to 7.8% at the nominal design point relative to the conventional tube-and-wing aircraft to maintain a 7.6–8.0% improvement over the envelope of operating conditions, which includes design points at even higher Mach numbers and lift coefficients. These results demonstrate the viability of the transonic strut-braced-wing configuration for transport aircraft within the single-aisle class and its potential for reducing commercial fleet fuel burn.